THE JOSIE JAMES AND NIGEL MARTINEZ SHOW IS OUR JOURNEY
THROUGH MUSIC AND THE ARTISTS WE HAVE WORKED WITH IN THE
JAZZ, FUNK, AND R&B GENRES FROM THE 70s, 80s, AND BEYOND,
WITH OCCASIONAL SPECIAL GUESTS!
JOSIE JAMES
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Grammy nominated singer Josie James is equally at home on the concert stage or in the recording studio with a track record that has been praised by many. She sings a wide variety of music influenced by R&B, gospel, pop and jazz. Jazz funk/fusion fans remember Josie James who coined the phrase “talk to me quick!” as the lead vocalist of the original George Duke Band and sang on most of George’s albums including Duke’s last release Dreamweaver. Since embarking on a career in the music world as a singer, Josie has recorded and/or toured with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and The Jacksons, Whitney Houston, Earth Wind and Fire, Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Billy Ocean,
Jeffrey Osborne, Quincy Jones, Patrice Rushen, David Foster, Ray Parker Jr., Howard Hewitt, Elvis Costello, George Michael, Ronald Isley, Burt Bacharach, and jazz icons Joe Sample, The Crusaders, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Clarke, Earl Klugh, Al Jarreau, and many others. Josie’s recording and performance career was launched when she sang the lead vocal on What’s The Story from Patrice Rushen’s Before The Dawn album. Her next big break came when Stevie Wonder asked her to sing on his classic album, Songs In The Key Of Life. The second hit single from that album featured Josie on Another Star. Stevie invited her again to sing on his Hotter Than July and Secret Life Of Plants albums. As one of the most sought after session vocalists in the business, Josie has been heard on many of the Top 10 albums and singles during the 80s and 90s. James appeared in the hit single Easy Lover video with Phil Collins and Philip Bailey, sang with Bailey on his multi-platinum Chinese Wall album, and toured Japan as his featured guest artist. Josie James received a Grammy Award nomination for her performance of Street Life from the album Royal Jam with The Crusaders, B.B. King, and The London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded live at Royal Festival Hall. Josie was also featured artist on Burnin’ Up The Carnival from Joe Sample’s album Voices In The Rain. She performed with George Duke and his All Star Band for the Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert, at London’s Wembley Arena in front of 100,000 people, televised worldwide. Josie was featured artist at the JVC Jazz Festival with guitarist Earl Klugh at the Hollywood Bowl, and has made several television appearances, including Dick Clark’s American
Bandstand, Soul Train, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, and in England, The Jools Holland Show, Selena
Scott, the BBC One show, among others. Josie’s own solo career commenced with her debut album, Candles, featuring Win Your Love Produced by Nigel Martinez released in the UK and has been considered a Jazz/R&B vocal classic. Once Josie’s voice came to the attention of the legendary hit songwriter Burt Bacharach, she began performing around the world with Bacharach. As a featured vocalist for Burt over the past 20 years, James has performed on numerous symphony concerts, and several television specials, such as Sessions on 54th Street with Elvis Costello, McCormick Presents Burt Bacharach Tribute On Ice, Ronald Isley Meets Burt Bacharach on PBS, the BBC Electric Proms at The Roundhouse, and
Royal Festival Hall, Glastonbury, London Palladium, Apollo Hammersmith, UK Summer music festivals, and many more. Josie has recorded on Burt’s albums At This Time and Live At The Sydney Opera House, with The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and brought the house down on Bacharach’s DVD, A Life In Song with Josie singing her memorable and popular version of the Bacharach/David classic, Anyone Who Had A Heart. Josie James performed as headliner with The San Diego Symphony singing The Music Of James Bond, London’s Jazz Cafe, The Bonaventure Hotel for 94.7 The Wave Jazz Series, and performed with original George Duke Band members at Duke’s Memorial Tribute for BET Centric TV. Josie headlines the annual Laguna Beach Festival of Arts concert series with the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra. In between touring dates Josie recorded her album That Jazz featuring Coming Back to Your Love Produced by Nigel Martinez. A new album is coming! Be sure to check the
Official Josie James website josiejamesmusic.com.
NIGEL MARTINEZ
NIGEL MARTINEZ Musician Writer Producer.
Nigel Martinez grew up in the city of Leicester in the UK. During his teenage years, Martinez joined a local band called The Steam, who had regular engagements on American Air Force bases. They played choice gigs opening up for James Brown, The Jackson 5, Kool and the Gang, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Rufus Thomas, Millie Jackson, and Erma Franklin. He also did a short stint as drummer for The Chi-Lites, Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, Freda Payne, Mary Wilson, and became the hook up for American acts coming to Europe that needed musicians.
He was asked to join the British group The Real Thing as drummer who seemed headed for chart success. The Real Thing had several number one hits and a string of top ten singles. Nigel moved to London and was instantly snatched up by publishing giant Chappell Music. Nigel recorded his debut album, Better Things to Come and released the singles, Love the Way You Love, and Better Things to Come which is considered a vinyl classic. This led to Nigel doing more live and recording sessions for such acts as, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Heatwave, Johnny Nash,Micky Most, Hot Chocolate, David Essex, Leo Sayer, John Miles, Biddu, Carl Douglas, Tina Charles, Freddie Cole, Mary Wilson, Sheena Easton and a host of others. Martinez recorded on Marvin Gaye’s final Motown release, In Our Lifetime. In the midst of all this, Nigel was asked by Warner Brothers Records to be the drummer for their new artist Al Jarreau on his first European promotional tour for his debut album Spirit, which continued over a
three year period. Through his recording experiences, Nigel realized his potential as a multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist. His
reputation spread and led him to write and produce, Billy Ocean’s albums, Nights Feel Like Gettin’ Down and Inner Feelings. Nigel produced, arranged, and co-wrote on both albums. The single, Nights went to Number 1 on the Billboard charts and was featured on The Jane Fonda Workout album, which sold over 5 million copies and opened the door for Ocean’s success in the US. He was also Ocean’s MD on his first US Caribbean Queen tour. After success with Ocean, he was asked by GTO Records to bring in a new voice to the label. That unique and one-
of-a-kind voice was Josie James, which he had heard on Stevie Wonder, George Duke, Patrice Rushen, and The Crusaders albums. She came to the UK, and out of those sessions the tracks, Dance You Up and It’s Up to Me were released. They later recorded the album, Candles, which also included the two-step classic, Win Your Love. Martinez also produced and arranged Light of the World’s album, Check Us Out, Total Contrast’s, Where Is Love, produced and wrote the songs, Be With You and Tell Me for Patrice Rushen on her Anything But Ordinary album, Junior Giscombe’s Acquired Taste album in which the single, Do You Really Want My Love was featured in the highly successful Eddie Murphy film, Beverly Hills Cop. The success of these projects prompted calls from American artists including, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Rufus, Norman Connors, and Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire requesting Martinez’s services. Nigel also appeared on Philip Bailey’s, Chinese Wall album singing background vocals on the song, Time Is a Woman, produced by Phil Collins. He also toured with Philip Bailey on his gospel tour. Norman Connors recorded
three of Nigel’s compositions, Stay With Me, She’s Gone, Doin’ It, on his classic album, Mr.C. Nigel’s production of the single, Wikka Wrap by The Evasions was the hook sampled by rapper Coolio to produce his multi-platinum hit,1, 2, 3, 4 Sumpin’ New. Martinez moved to LA and was immediately signed to Motown under the ownership of Berry Gordy. Nigel produced various projects, most notable his remake of The Jackson 5 hit, Dancin’ Machine, on the album The Original Soul of Michael Jackson. Nigel recorded a second album, So Good, and single-handedly wrote, produced, arranged, sang and played all the instruments, except the horns on the album. One of the tracks, Are You Ready received heavy airplay on the radio and is considered a classic. Nigel and Josie James have collaborated again on her album, That Jazz. The album features original songs by Martinez and James, and a new jazz trio version of classic Bacharach/David song, Anyone Who Had a Heart. Immediately after, he went back into the studio with Jazz Bassist (son) Marlon Martinez to cut his debut album Yours Truly. Nigel then produced a second album for the band Light Of The World, Jazz Funk Power which is currently at the top of the UK Soul Charts. Martinez plans to continue producing, writing, and recording projects for his label NJMMEDIA INC.
